A shopkeeper in Bengaluru was thrashed by a group of men after he allegedly played bhajan of Lord Hanuman at the time of azaan (Islamic call to prayer). Three people were arrested in connection with the incident. The incident occurred on Sunday in the city's Siddanna Layout area.
"I was playing Hanuman bhajan. Four to five people came and said it was time for azaan and threatened to beat me if I played music. They beat me and threatened me again that they would stab me with a knife," the shopkeeper told reporters.
A video of the incident doing the rounds on social media, shows the men coming to the shop one by one. An argument soon breaks out, after which one of the men is seen grabbing the shopkeeper by his collar, prompting the latter to hit him back.
A second man also hits the shopkeeper, after which he gets out of the shop. The fight gets violent, with the men taking turns beating the shopkeeper and also proceeding to kick him.
An FIR has been registered against the accused, who have been identified as Suleman, Shahnawaz, Rohith, Dyanish and Taruna.
"We are inquiring if Hanuman Chalisa was played. There's no mention of Hanuman Chalisa in the complaint. The group that assaulted the shopkeeper included both Hindus and Muslims," the DCP Central said.
